[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21593-21597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07846]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
[Docket No.: DOT-OST-2024-0127]
Solicitation of Proposals for Annual Combating Human Trafficking
in Transportation Impact Awards
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice; Solicitation of Proposals for Annual Awards.
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SUMMARY: The annual Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation
Impact Awards (the awards) seek to raise awareness among transportation
stakeholders about human trafficking and increase training and
prevention to combat the crime. The awards are a component of the
Department of Transportation (DOT) Transportation Leaders Against Human
Trafficking initiative. Additional information regarding the
Department's counter-trafficking activities can be found at
www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking.
The awards serve as an incentive for transportation stakeholders to
creatively develop impactful and innovative counter-trafficking tools,
initiatives, campaigns, and technologies that can help stop these
heinous crimes, and as a platform to publicize and share the success of
those efforts. The awards are open to individuals and entities,
including non- governmental organizations, transportation industry
associations, research institutions, and state and local government
entities and organizations. Entrants compete for three cash awards: up
to $100,000 for first place, up to $50,000 for second place, and up to
$25,000 for third place. These prizes are to be awarded to the
individual(s) or entities selected for creating the most impactful and
innovative counter-trafficking initiative or technology. DOT seeks to
incentivize individuals and entities to think creatively in developing
innovative solutions to combat human trafficking in the transportation
industry, and to share those innovations with the broader community.
DATES: Submissions will be accepted from April 22, 2026 through 11:59pm
EST on June 22, 2026 using the following Microsoft Forms link: https://forms.office.com/g/eK20xQ50P2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information and to register
your intent to compete individually or as part of a team, visit
www.transportation.gov/
[[Page 21594]]
stophumantrafficking, email [email protected], or contact the Office
of International Transportation and Trade at (202) 366-4398 on weekdays
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Awards Approving Official: The U.S. Secretary of Transportation
(Secretary).
Subject of Awards Competition: The Combating Human Trafficking in
Transportation Impact Awards recognize impactful, innovative, and
shareable approaches to combating human trafficking in the
transportation industry that can be replicated by others.
Problem
As many as 27.6 million men, women, and children worldwide are held
against their will and trafficked into forced labor and commercial sex.
Transportation figures prominently in human trafficking enterprises
when traffickers move victims, which uniquely positions the industry to
combat the crime.
Challenge
The Department is looking for the best innovators to develop
original, impactful, unique, and shareable human trafficking tools,
initiatives, campaigns, and technologies that can help stop these
heinous crimes in the transportation industry.
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the Combating Human Trafficking in
Transportation Impact Awards competition, private entities must be
incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United
States, and individuals must be citizens or permanent residents of the
United States. There is no charge to enter the competition. Past
entrants who did not win first place are encouraged to reapply.
Submissions proposing solutions for sectors that have not yet been
awarded a cash prize, such as transit, intercity rail, freight rail,
maritime, rideshare, taxi, private car service, pipelines, and state
DOTs are also encouraged to apply.
Rules, Terms, and Conditions
The following additional rules apply:
1. Entrants shall submit a project to the competition in accordance
with the rules promulgated by the Department in this Notice;
2. Entrants must indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Federal
Government from and against all third-party claims, actions, or
proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities,
costs, and expenses relating to or arising from participant's
submission or any breach or alleged breach of any of the
representations, warranties, and covenants of participant hereunder.
Entrants are financially responsible for claims made by a third party;
3. Entrants may not be a Federal entity, Federal employee acting
within the scope of their employment, or a family member of a Federal
Employee;
4. Entrants may not be an employee or family member of an employee
of the U.S. Department of Transportation;
5. Prior first place awardees are not eligible to reenter for a
substantially similar project;
6. The competition is subject to all applicable Federal laws and
regulations. Participation constitutes the entrants' full and
unconditional agreement to these rules and to the Secretary's
decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this
competition;
7. Entries must be original, be the work of the entrant, and must
not violate any rights of other parties. All entries remain the
property of the entrant. Each entrant represents and warrants that:
The entrant is the sole author, creator, and owner of the
submission;
The entry is not the subject of any actual or threatened
litigation or claim;
The entry does not and will not violate or infringe upon
the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or
other legal rights of any third party; and
The entry does not and will not contain any harmful
computer code (sometimes referred to as ``malware,'' ``viruses,'' or
``worms'').
8. Any use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in preparation of
the submission must be disclosed in the proposal. If AI tools were
used, indicate what AI tool(s) were used, the approximate percentage of
the proposal that was generated or assisted by AI, and briefly describe
the purpose (e.g., language enhancement, content generation) of such
use. Entrants remain fully responsible for verifying the accuracy,
originality, and ethical integrity of all content, including AI-
generated portions. The Department reserves the right to reject any
proposals that may have used AI in an unethical or illegal manner.
9. By submitting an entry in this competition, entrants agree to
assume any and all risks and waive any claims against the Federal
Government and its related entities (except in the case of willful
misconduct) for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue
or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from
their participation in this competition, whether the injury, death,
damage, or loss arises through negligence of otherwise; provided,
however, that by registering or submitting an entry, entrants do not
waive claims against the Department arising out of the unauthorized use
or disclosure by the agency of the intellectual property, trade
secrets, or confidential information of the entrant;
10. The Secretary or the Secretary's designees have the right to
request additional supporting documentation regarding the proposal from
the entrants;
11. Each entrant grants to the Department, as well as other Federal
agencies with which it partners, the right to use names, likenesses,
proposal materials, photographs, voices, opinions, and hometowns and
states for the Department's promotional purposes in any media, in
perpetuity, worldwide, without further payment or consideration;
12. If selected for an award, the entrant grants the Department and
any parties acting on their behalf, a royalty-free, non-exclusive,
irrevocable, worldwide license to publicize entrant's name. Such
authority includes posting or linking to the entry on Department
websites, including the Competition website, and partner websites, and
inclusion of the entry in any other media, worldwide;
13. Entrants that are Federal grant recipients may not use Federal
funds to develop submissions or to fund efforts in support of a
submission;
14. Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract
to develop submissions or to fund efforts in support of a submission;
and
15. The submission period begins on April 22, 2026. Submissions
must be sent by 11:59pm EST on June 22, 2026. The timeliness of
submissions will be determined by the time stamp of the Microsoft Form
submission. Competition administrators assume no responsibility for
lost or untimely submissions for any reason.
Submission Requirements
Applicants must submit entries using the following Microsoft Forms
link: https://forms.office.com/g/eK20xQ50P2. Please contact
[email protected] between the weekday hours of 9:00am and 5:30pm EST
for any submission issues involving Microsoft Forms.
Expression of Interest: While not required, entrants are strongly
encouraged to send brief expressions of interest to DOT prior to
submitting
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entries. The expressions of interest should be sent by May 22, 2026 to
[email protected], and include the following elements: (1) Name and
title of entrant(s); (2) Telephone and email address; and (3) A
synopsis of the proposal, limited to no more than two pages.
Please ensure your submission package includes EACH of the
following elements:
General Submission Information
1. Entity
List the name of the entity or organization(s) or the name(s) and
title(s) of the individual(s) submitting a proposal.
2. Point of Contact
Provide the name, title, phone, email, website URL, and mailing
address for a single individual to serve as the proposal/project point
of contact.
3. Type
What type of entity are you? Authority, association, operator, NGO,
research institution, individual, or other? If other, please specify.
Is your organization national, state, local, or tribal?
4. Mode(s)
Which transportation mode(s) does the proposal/project focus on?
Options include aviation, bus (commercial), bus (school), bus
(transit), highways and roadways, maritime and ports, pipelines, rail
(passenger), rail (freight), transit, trucking, rideshare, taxi, and
private car service.
5. Access
Will the outputs of the proposal/project remain free for
beneficiaries?
6. Eligibility Statement
A statement of eligibility by private entities indicating that they
are incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the
United States, or a statement of eligibility by individuals indicating
that they are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
Background & Partners
7. Background
Provide a brief background regarding the submitting organization(s)
or individual(s) with an emphasis on: (A) counter-trafficking
expertise, and (B) expertise relevant to your proposal/project. Where
applicable, include the number and type of stakeholders served, the
number and type of participants trained, etc.
8. Partners
If applicable, provide a brief background for each partner who will
be engaged in the proposal/project development and/or implementation
with an emphasis on: (A) their counter-trafficking expertise, and (B)
their expertise relevant to your proposal/project. Where applicable,
include the number and type of stakeholders served, the number and type
of participants trained, etc. Partnerships necessary for proposal/
project development and/or implementation must be secured prior to
submission.
Project/proposal Overview
9. Title
State the title of your proposal/project.
10. Summary (1-2 sentences)
A high-level summary of the proposal/project including all
deliverable(s) and whether it will focus on labor trafficking, sex
trafficking, or both.
11. Focus Area(s)
Proposals may address one or more of the following DOT Advisory
Committee on Human Trafficking elements of a comprehensive approach to
counter-trafficking. Please indicate which of the following elements
the concept addresses:
Leadership and Funding
Policies and Reporting
Partnerships
Training and Awareness
Research, Data, and Information-Sharing
Victim and Survivor Support
12. Anticipated Beneficiaries
Identify the anticipated beneficiaries.
Proposal/Project Details
13. Description
Provide a comprehensive overview of the proposal/project. Ensure
that each deliverable is supported by a description of how it will be
developed and implemented. If supporting statistics are included,
ensure the citations reference the original source (official or peer
reviewed).
14. Transportation Intersection
Describe how the concept relates to the issue of human
trafficking in the transportation industry.
Describe how the concept presents a logical workable
solution and approach to addressing human trafficking in the
transportation industry.
15. Originality
Indicate whether the concept is unique or a variation of
an existing idea.
If unique, clearly describe its unique merits.
16. Applicability
Identify whether the concept is local, regional, or
national in focus.
If not national, identify whether the submission can be
scaled nationally.
17. Survivor-Informed
Describe how the concept integrates principles of a
trauma-informed, victim-centered approach.
Detail how survivors of human trafficking were consulted
in the development of the concept, what recommendations they made, and
to what extent their recommendations were adopted. Describe how
survivor input will inform its implementation.
If the concept involves reporting, indicate which
survivor-informed and trauma-informed source individuals will be
directed to report to.
18. Practicality
In your submission, clearly outline anticipated resources,
and each cost to be incurred by executing the concept.
Describe how the concept will be implemented in a way that
requires a finite amount of resources (e.g., fixed costs, low or no
marginal costs, and a clear path to implementation and scale beyond an
initial investment).
19. Logic Model
Ensure the logic model flowchart of the submission addresses all of
the following areas for designing and managing your proposal/project:
Inputs (e.g., funding, staff, expertise, research and
data, materials, technology)
Activities (e.g., internal policies, partnering, training,
public awareness campaigns, data tracking, evaluation)
Outputs (e.g., partnerships, materials disseminated,
campaigns, participants trained, publications, tips reported, online
engagement, survey results)
Outcomes (e.g., increased engagement, policies, reporting,
coordination, interventions, service referrals, survivor support)
20. Emerging Technologies
If an emerging technology is an element of your proposal/project,
precisely describe how the technology will function (e.g., automation,
detection, integration, analytics, detection, modelling, etc.).
Describe the state of readiness and reliability of the technology.
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21. Data Collection
If the concept involves collecting tips, describe how the proposal/
project will: A) protect Personally Identifiable Information, and B)
avoid duplicative reporting.
22. Measurement
Describe how the impact of your project will be measured both
quantitatively and qualitatively.
23. Impact
Describe how your concept is anticipated to make a
significant impact and/or contribution to the fight against human
trafficking in the transportation industry.
Describe the anticipated breadth and depth of the impact
of your proposal.
Describe how many and precisely what type of stakeholders
are expected to be reached through the proposed efforts.
Supporting Information
24. Letters of Support
Letters of support from subject matter experts or industry are
encouraged for all proposals and required for all partnerships
necessary for implementation. Letters of support should address the
technical merit of the concept, originality, impact, practicality,
measurability and/or applicability. For submissions inclusive of
letters of support, provide an itemized list with the name, title, and
organization providing each letter.
25. Supporting Documents (no page limit)
Any supporting documents may include paper(s) and/or technologies,
programs, video/audio files, and other related materials, describing
the proposal/project and addressing the selection criteria. As
applicable, this can include a description of success of a previous or
substantially similar proposal and/or documentation of impact. DOT may
request additional information, including supporting documentation,
more detailed contact information, releases of liability, and
statements of authenticity to guarantee the originality of the work.
Failure to respond in a timely manner may result in disqualification.
Initial Screening
The Office of International Transportation and Trade's Counter-
Trafficking Initiative (CTI) will initially review proposals to
determine whether all required submission elements are included, and to
determine compliance with eligibility requirements.
Evaluation
After the Initial Screening, CTI, with input from the relevant
Operating Administrations, will judge entries based on the following
factors: technical merit, originality, impact, practicality,
measurability, and applicability. The Secretary will make the final
selection. The Department reserves the right to not award the prize if
the selecting official believes that no submission demonstrates
sufficient potential for substantive transformative impact.
Evaluation Factors
Technical Merit
Alignment of the submission with the DOT Advisory
Committee on Human Trafficking's comprehensive approach to counter-
trafficking.
Whether the submission development and implementation will
be informed by both counter-trafficking and transportation expertise.
The concept relates to the issue of human trafficking in
the transportation industry.
The proposal presents a logical and workable solution and
approach to addressing human trafficking in the transportation
industry.
The proposal specifies how it will integrate a trauma-
informed, victim-centered approach.
The proposal addresses how survivors of human trafficking
were consulted in the development of the concept, what recommendations
they made, to what extent their recommendations were adopted, and how
their input will inform its implementation.
If emerging technology is an element of the proposal/
project, the submission describes precisely how the technology will
function (e.g., automation, detection, integration, analytics,
detection, modelling, etc.) and the state of readiness and reliability
of that technology.
If the concept involves reporting, the submission
specifies whether individuals will be directed to report to a survivor-
informed and trauma-informed source.
If the concept involves collecting tips, the submission
addresses how the proposal/project will: A) protect Personally
Identifiable Information, and B) avoid duplicative reporting.
Originality
The proposal identifies whether the concept is unique or a
variation of an existing idea. If unique, the submission clearly
describes its unique merits.
Impact/Measurability
The outputs of the proposal/project remain free for
beneficiaries.
The proposal will make a significant impact on and/or
contribution to the fight against human trafficking in the
transportation industry.
The proposal clearly describes the breadth of impact.
The submission clearly outlines how the proposal will be
measured both quantitatively and qualitatively.
The proposal specifies how many and what type of
stakeholders are expected to be reached.
The proposal describes how it will result in measurable
improvements.
Practicality
If partners are necessary for implementation, the
submission includes letters of recommendation (or support) from those
partners.
The submission clearly identifies the anticipated
beneficiaries of the concept.
The budget clearly outlines anticipated resources and each
cost to be incurred in executing the concept.
The proposal can be implemented in a way that requires a
finite amount of resources and identifies whether the submission has
fixed costs, low or no marginal costs, and a clear path to
implementation and scale beyond an initial investment.
Applicability
The submission identifies whether the concept is local,
regional, or national, and if not national, whether it can be scaled
nationally.
Awards
Up to three winning entries may be announced. Award winners will
receive up to a $100,000 cash prize for first place, up to $50,000 for
second place, and up to $25,000 for third place. A plaque with the
first-place winner(s) name and the date of the award will be on display
at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and a display copy of the
plaque(s) will be sent to the winner. Two additional plaques will be
awarded to recognize the second and third place runners up. At the
Department's discretion, DOT may pay for invitational travel expenses
to Washington, DC for up to two individuals or representatives of the
first-place winner and runners up, should selectees be invited to
present their submission(s) for DOT officials.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719 (America COMPETES Act).
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Issued in Washington, DC on April 20, 2026.
Daniel J. Edwards,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-07846 Filed 4-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P